April 18, 2017 -- With two seats up for grabs, three residents met last Monday's 5 pm deadline for submitting petitions to run as candidates in the North Shore Schools Board of Education Trustees Election to be held on Tuesday, May 16. Incumbent Joanna Commander, of Glen Head, is seeking her second three-year term, while Cheryl Yodis Brown and Richard Galati, also of Glen Head, are running for the first time. It is an at-large election, with the top two vote getters each earning a spot on the Board.

All three candidates are educators. Ms. Commander retired from a career as a teacher and athletic director in the Lynbrook and Harborfields School Districts. Ms. Brown currently teaches elementary school in the Central Islip Schools. Mr. Galati retired from his position as a Chemistry teacher at North Shore High School last year.

Incumbent School Board Trustees Lara Gonzalez, also an educator, who has served for the past three years, has chosen to not seek re-election.

The public will have the opportunity to learn more about the candidates' backgrounds, qualifications, and positions on issues at a Meet the Candidates forum to be held at the North Shore High School on Tuesday, April 25, at 8 pm.

On May 16, in addition to the Trustees election, residents will also have the opportunity to vote on the 2017-18 school budget of $102,113,515 - a 2.63% rise over 2016-17; and a tax levy of $84,488,575 - an actual decline of $9,500 over this year. A second proposition will ask voters to consider reducing the distance limitation for busing 7th and 8th grades to the Middle School from 1.5 miles to l mile. The change would create no additional cost for the District or for taxpayers. Currently 6th graders must live 1 mile from the school to receive transportation.​BACK TO WEEKLY